Leather-slitting machine



(No Mbdel.) A. L. SWEET.

LEATHER SLITTING MACHINE.

No. 571,295. Patented Nov. 1'0. 1896.-

Iva/enter HE nomus PETERS ca, mom-um Mrs STATES FICEa ALONZO L. SWEET,OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE SEAMLESS LEATHER COMPANY, OFILLINOIS.

LEATHER-SLITT ING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 571,295, datedNovember 10, 1896.

Application filed August 2, 1895.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALoNZo LOUIS SWEET,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Leather-Slitting Machines, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

It is the object of my invention to provide a machine for slittingleather, and especially for holding and slitting small blanks which havebeen previously trimmed and cut to the required size for making loopsfor use on harness and the like.

My invention comprises means for holding the blank by its edges and aknife for slitting the blank as held by the clamping and holding means,one of said parts being movable in relation to the other.

My machine includes also holding means for the blank, a slitting-knife,and automatic feeding means for feeding the blanks to the holding meansand cutting-knife.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of the machine, partly insection. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

The knife used for slitting may be of various forms. I have shown,however, a knife made up of two sections 1 2, adapted to reciprocate inrelation to each other and held in a carriage. 3, movable 011 a way 4 ofthe bed 5 by a lever 6, pivoted to the bed and operated by a grooved cam7 and a link 8. The knife-sections are reciprocated by eccentrics 9 onthe shaft 10, journaled in the carriage, the straps 11 of saideccentrics being connected to the knife-shanks.

The blanks piled in a hopper 12 are fed one by one therefrom to theclamping or holding levers 13, there being two pairs of theseclamping-levers, one pair clamping one end of the blank, while the otherpair clamps the other end. The members of each pair of levers areoperated from a grooved cam on the shaft through a link 14:, lever 15,and toggle-arms 10, the lever 15 being connected to a crossbar 17, inturn connected to the toggles.

The front ends of the clamping-levers are opened to receive the blank,which is fed laterally between the members by the plunger Serial No.658,014. (No model.)

springs, the connection at this point being a.

rigid one and at the rear portions of the plates. These plates have lips24 along their front and rear edges of slight depth, so that when thejaws are clamping the leather blank there will be a space between theselips su'iiflcient to admit the slitting-knife.

The plates have yielding movement between the jaws, and they serve toform a receiving box or chamber for the blank when fed, as they extendacross the space between the jaws, and when the blank is in place itsends project from the box or plates and are gripped by the clamping-jawswhen these are closed, so that the knife will slit the central portionof the blank, leaving its edges as held by the clamp intact. After theslitting has been done by the advance and retraction of theslitting-knife the jaws open, the springplates still hold the blank, andthe feedingplunger then feeds a fresh blank forward between thespring-plates, the slit blank being pushed from the holding-plates bythe fresh blank.

I do not wish to limit myself to a stationary holding means and amovable knife, as the arrangement may be reversed.

I claim 1. In combination in a slitting-machine for leather, aslitting-knife, means for holding the leather by its edges and meansintermediate of the holding means located on opposite sides of theleather to be slit and engaging said opposite sides to hold theintermediate part of the said leather blank, substan tially asdescribed.

2. In combination, the slitting-knife, the holding means for the edgesof the leather and yielding means intermediate of the edge,

holding means to engage the leather, substantially as described.

3. In combination, the slitting-knife, means for clamping the leather atits edges, and the spring-plates intermediate of the clamping means,substantially as described.

4. In combination, the slitting-knife, the clamping-levers pivotallysupported, means for opening and closing the levers, said levers beingarranged to clamp the edges of the leather, substantially as described.

5. In combination, a slitting-knife clamping means with operatingmechanism to open and close the same, a receiver or box intermediate ofthe clamping means and feeding mechanism for feeding the blanks thereto,said box having yielding Walls and open at the front, sides and rearedges for receiving the loop-blank and the slitting-knife substantiallyas described.

6. In combination, means for holding the leather and a slitting-knifecomposed of sections and means for reciprocating the sections inrelation to each other in the direction of the cut to thrust the pointof the sections alternately in advance, substantially as described.

7. In combination, the clamping means comprising the two pairs of leverswith means for opening and closing the same, the springplates extendingacross between the pairs of levers, a slitting-knife and feedingmechanism for the leather, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ALONZO .TJ. SWEET. \Vitnesses:

F. L. MIDDLETON, IIENRY E. COOPER.

